Sudan’s Nagmeldine Ali Abubakr in Tunis (© Slim Gomri)
Tunis, TunisiaIt was summertime at the Radès Athletics Stadium where athletes representing 14 Countries gathered to compete and celebrate the 9th edition of the Tunis’ International Meeting, called “Zitouna” (the olive), on Saturday (17).
The men’s 400 metres was dominated by Sudan’s Nagmeldine Ali Abubakr in 45.93, but the 20-year-old fell shy of the meeting record registered in 2004 by Tunisia’s Sofiane Laabidi (45.74). Abubakr, the winner in April's IAAF Grand Prix meeting in Dakar, is the the 2003 World Youth champion and 2004 World Junior silver medallist in the event, and the Area junior record holder (44.93 – 2005). A long term student of the IAAF’s High Performance training Centre (HPTC) in Dakar, Abubakr was a 2004 Olympian, and was a semi-finalist last year at the World Championships in Helsinki. Second and third positions went respectively to Tunisia’s Ridha Ghali (46.24) and Jamaica’s Marvin Essor (46.36).
Though far below his personal nest of 13.51 set the year's Iberoamerican Championships, Brazil’s Anselmo Gomes da Silva broke the meeting record in the 110m Hurdles in 13.77, followed very closely by France’s Cedric Lavanne with 13.78. Third place also went to Brazil, with Thiago Castelo Branco running 13.97.
In the men’s 400m Hurdles, Tunisia’s Titi Laroussi won gold and registered a meeting record with a 50.50 performance while Maiga Ibrahim (Mali) and Hadj Seth Mbow (Senegal) won silver and bronze with 50.54 and 50.57. Brazil’s Rafael Fernandes, expected to be on the podium, arrived fourth with 51.07.
France’s Ismail Alaoui won the men’s 1500m in 3:40.08 followed by Algeria’s Amine Bensalem in 3:42.30 and Tunisia’s Badri Salah in 3:42.90.
The men’s Pole Vault was dominated by Tamada Abderahmane who cleared 5.10m. Hamdi Dhouibi cleared 5.00m and took silver while Mehdi Bouallegue stopped at 4.20m for bronze.
Tunisia’s Souid Saber took top honours in the men’s Hammer Throw with a 69.85 effort while silver went to Egypt’s Ahmed Abdelraouf (66.56).
Gold went to Tunisia’s Monia Kari in the women’s Discus Throw (50.98), to Egypt’s Marwa in the Women’s Hammer Throw (58.60), to Brazil’s Luciana Alves de Santos in the Long Jump (6.27) and to Tunisia’s Issaoui Safa in women’s 1500m (4:16.97).
Slim Gomri for the IAAF
Select results:
MEN -
110m Hurdles:
1. Anselmo Gomes da Silva, BRA, 13.77
2. Cedric Lavanne, FRA, 13.78
3. Thiago Castelo Branco, BRA, 13.97
4. Fred Townsend, USA, 14.07
400m:
1. Nagmeldine Ali Abubakr, SUD, 45.93
2. Ghali Ridha, TUN, 46.24
3. Marvin Essor, JAM, 46.36
400m Hurdles:
1. Titi Laroussi, TUN, 50.50
2. Maiga Ibrahim, MLI, 50.54
3. Hadj Seth Mbow, SEN, 50.57
3000m Steeplechase:
1. Rabie Makhloufi, ALG, 8:44.54
2. Gmati Med Ali, TUN, 8:48.71
3. Zaidi Imed, TUN, 8:58.12
1500m:
1. Ismail Alaoui, FRA, 3:40.08
2. Amine Bensalem, ALG, 3:42.30
3. Badri Salah, TUN, 3:42.90
Long Jump:
1. Hatem Mersal, EGY, 7.75
2. Dacastello Stefano, ITA, 7.44
3. Machraoui Abdallah, TUN, 7.07
Pole Vault:
1. Tamada Abderahmane, TUN, 5.10
2. Dhouibi Hamdi, TUN, 5.00
3. Bouallegue Mehdi, TUN, 4.20
Javelin:
1. Walid Abd Elwaheb, EGY, 73.39
2. Kbabou Med Ali, TUN, 66.85
3. Anene sadok, TUN, 66.53
Hammer:
1. Souid Saber, TUN, 69.85
2. Ahmed Abd el Raouf, EGY, 66.56
3. Bahri Gafsi Helmi, TUN, 48.92
Shot Put:
1. Capponi Paolo, ITA, 18.40
2. Yasser Fathy, EGY, 18.33
3. Meddeb Mohamed, TUN, 18.00
WOMEN -
Hammer:
1. Marwa, EGY, 58.60
2. Jellouz Khadidja, TUN, 50.49
3. Hamdi Amina, TUN, 46.6
Discus:
1. Kari Monia, TUN, 50.98
2. Saadaoui Kalthoum, TUN, 48.59
3. Suzanne Kbakbe, CIV, 46.38
Long Jump:
1. Luciana Alves do Santos, BRA, 6.27
2. Bouaoudia Sarra, ALG, 6.05
3. Hamrouni Awatef, TUN, 5.79
1500m:
1. Issaoui Safa, TUN, 4:16.97
2. Ghribi Habiba, TUN, 4:19.53
3. Touati Khadidja, ALG, 4:21.38
